Lou Garoux tells Remus and Severus what's up

[sa_npc]

19 May 1997. Snape's office.

Severus finished grading the last of his students' essays, thoroughly appalled by how little they seem to remember from class and annoyed that Hermione bloody Granger still thought she knew everything in the universe. He took a look at the list Poppy had given him of certain potions that they were running low on in the infirmary, and his scowl deepened. It wasn't enough that he had to do his own job; even more frustrating was how much Horace left for Severus to do. He considered sending the list to Horace for his own amusement, but then decided against it. Horace was old, and Severus was much better at potions.

Severus was drawn out of his concentration by a knock at the door. "Yes?" he asked crossly.

"It's Lou Garoux, Severus. May I come in?"

Severus set the potion to simmer and immediately rewrote the instructions in his head so that he could salvage the potion when he got back to it. "Yes. What is it?"

Lou entered. He was wearing khaki shorts, a lightweight periwinkle shirt, and a pith helmet. "I'm ready. I know what it is. Would you and Remus be able to meet with me?"

"Go find Lupin," Severus said, returning to his potion. "Give me twenty-five minutes."

"Do you want to talk here, or should we meet someplace?"

"We can speak here." Severus added a substitute ingredient that made his potion the correct shade of blue. "I simply can't leave in the middle of my task."

"I'll be back in twenty-five." Lou left Severus's office to find Remus.

===

Severus finished his potion and carefully stoppered it in a bottle, setting it aside to give to Poppy later. He washed his hands and turned to Lou and Lupin, who had been waiting patiently. "Very well. What is it?"

"The Serbs call it duša obavezuju, which apparently means 'soul bind'. One native North American culture called it something like 'synchronous spirits'. Most experts don't believe it exists. Including myself, until quite recently."

Severus blinked. "I don't care what it is. Can you cure it?"

Lou paused, considering how best to respond. "Not as such, no. But most accounts describe the magical connection weakening with time."

"I'm sorry," said Remus, "I'm not clear on exactly what we're talking about. This soul bind thing—"

"There's not much to go on, sadly. Only a handful of accounts have been documented, and all of those from hundreds of years ago or more. Much, much more, in some cases. It was truly believed to be nothing but legend."

"And yet, it's enough information for you to assume that's what's wrong with us?" Severus folded his arms and leaned against his desk, leveling a narrow glare at Lou.

"No, it wasn't. Not at all. Which is why it took so long for me to reach the conclusion. My reputation is too important to me to throw away on unsubstantiated myths. No, I came to the conclusion through research. And a week in El Salvador with the only other living pair of bound souls I could find."

"How long have they been bound?" Asked Remus.

"About eighty years," said Lou, "They're not quite sure."

"What? Is one of them a Wolf? I don't think I've ever heard of a lycanthrope living to sixty!"

"Yes, Lope was bitten when he was twelve. He and Marta were married seven years later, but the bond had already formed."

Severus had several different thoughts at once, but he took a deep breath and chose one. "How had it formed, then?"

"She cooked for him. Three meals a day for two years. Everything I've read, in all the legends and account, bear that one similarity. One party feeds a werewolf for an extended period of time. Strong emotion is usually involved, because it was typically a romantic relationship, but there was one case of a werewolf being bound to his mother. Poor bloke ended up killing himself. The pain drove her mad and the villagers killed her to stop the screaming."

"There haven't been any cases of a successful separation?" Severus asked.

"No, not completely, but it's clear that with time, the link weakens. Or the tether lengthens, as it were. Marta and Lope are able to be quite long distances from one another with no discomfort."

"But there's nothing to be done now," Severus confirmed.

"Well, I do have a notion that might—"

"Wait," said Remus, "If Marta and Lope have been together that long, how has he avoided killing her during the moon?"

"Oh, that's the best part! During his transformation, Lope is completely tame and undestructive. He hasn't harmed anyone since the day the bond formed, although they suspect he would be wild if she wasn't present. And Marta says she becomes slightly wolfish during Lope's transformation. It's fascinating stuff. I was proud to witness it."

"If I stop making Lupin the Wolfsbane Potion, will that break this spell?" Severus asked.

"That's unknown. Possible, I suppose, but I've been unable to find any examples of a broken bond. My belief is that the connection is permanent."

Severus scowled. "Unfortunate."

"It might be worthwhile trying to break the bond; I can't see what it would hurt. But I would recommend that the two of you try to start getting along."

Severus pushed away from his desk. "Is there anything else we should be aware of?"

"I've told you everything I feel confident about at this time. I do intend to continue my research, though; if I learn anything else I'll be sure to let you know. And I hope you'll alert me if your situation develops in any way."

"Of course," said Remus, standing. "Thank you for your help."

"It's been a pleasure." Lou stood and shook Remus' and Severus's hands. "I'll be in touch."

Severus gritted his teeth to prevent himself from saying something he would regret, annoyed further by his helpless frustration. He turned back to his cauldron in a whirl of robes and started on his next potion, ignoring Lou and Remus as they left.